The Job Read Free Page A

should that be a lot of kink in the bedroom. Someplace she
was so not going with him.
    “You
have bought my escort services for the evening, Sir.” She meant that
intonation as an insult, but the way his eyes flared in heated awareness and
his breathing sped up, told her what she was beginning to suspect. Nathanial
would indeed be more than capable of fulfilling her needs. That meant she
couldn’t let him near her. He would break down her barriers and she was not
prepared to risk her heart—not again.
    So
instead, she pushed him away. Alex breathed a sigh of relief when he let her
go.
    “But
that’s all you’ve bought. You can’t force me to do anything sexual, and—”
    “Dammit,
Alex.” His frustrated growl and the way he ran a hand through his hair, as he
started to pace the floor in front of her stopped her from saying the rest. She
hugged her arms around herself and bit her lip instead.
    When
he eventually stopped in front of her again, he indeed looked ready to put her
over his knee. She stopped breathing when he reached out to her, stopped
halfway, and curled his hand into a fist, dropping it to his thigh instead.
    “Do
you really think that little of me?” he asked. When she didn’t respond, he
swore under his breath. Nat pulled something out of his trouser pocket.
    “I
guess it doesn’t matter what you think. I’m just another client tonight, so do
your job and we’ll be fine. We’re going to the charity ball held here in the
hotel rooftop ballroom. You’ll need to look the part, so bearing that in mind,
please turn around. Lift your hair out of the way.”
    Her
eyes widened when he opened his palm and she caught sight of the sparkling
diamond necklace he’d held crushed in his hand as though it was mere baubles.
    “Is
that…?” She didn’t finish that question, too aware of the way he stiffened. He
twirled his free hand in a clear unspoken demand to present her back to him.
    “You
know damn well it is. Now, for the love of god, do as you’re told, and let me
put this on you. Believe me, it’s the only time the likes of you will get their
hands on my mother’s diamonds.”
    The
implied criticism stung. She would have given him a dressing down had it not
been for the expression on his face. He wasn’t looking at her, but at a spot
over her shoulder, swallowing hard as though he was trying to keep a hold of
his emotion. In truth, Alex, too, felt a bit choked.   She couldn’t imagine life without her mother,
and Nathanial’s had died only a few months ago. It was obviously still painful
for him. Her heart went out to the boy he had once been. In truth, she had fond
memories of Mrs. Longton herself. Both Nathanial’s parents had only ever been
kind to her and her mother when she was growing up. After all, Nat’s father
paid for Alex’s mother’s stay in the nursing home after her stroke last year,
much to Alexandra’s relief, as she would have never been able to afford it. Mum
had been frugal over the years. She had saved a considerable amount of money,
but not enough to provide the care she had needed. While Mum was doing much
better these days, she wasn’t capable of living on her own.
    “I’m
sorry, about your mother, I mean,” she murmured the words.
    When
his gaze connected with hers, the moisture she saw briefly in his eyes, before
he blinked it away made her reach out to him. A spark of awareness traveled up
her arm from the contact she made with his hand. His fingers tightened briefly
around her digits in silent acknowledgement, before he released her, and she
dutifully turned around, lifting her hair off her nape.
    The
necklace felt cool and heavy on her skin as he slid the expensive jewelry
around her neck, fastening it. He left his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs
stroking the sides of her throat. The action left goose bumps in its wake. Alex
gasped when he steered her so she could see them in the mirror. His mother’s
diamonds sparkled in the overhead lighting. With